Process and equipment for packaging articles



Dec. 15, 1970 BUOB E 3,546,836

PROCESS AND EQUIPMENT FOR PACKAGING ARTICLES Filed Sept. 16, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet l FIE. 4

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PROCESS AND EQUIPMENT FOR PACKAGING ARTICLES Filed Sept. 16, 1968 Dec. 15, 1970 K. BUOB ETAL 2 SheetsSheet 2 If! K4 1 w i M \G. w W m p o m\ H W fi 2 I #2 H4 H4 A f a I 104 FIG. 8 C

United States US. CI. 53-33 10 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Method and apparatus for packaging articles in sheet wrapping material wherein an article is placed on a table so that the rear part of the article extends over the table edge; wrapping material fed through a transverse slot in the table forward of said article is partially wrapped about the article by pulling the material over the article and securing the end of the material to the bottom surface at the back of the article; the partially wrapped article is moved forward over the table until it passes the transverse slot where the two ends of the sheet material are overlapped; the two ends of the sheet are then fastened together; and, then the sheet is cut allowing removal of the packaged article and the beginning of another wrapping cycle.

This invention relates to a process and equipment for packaging articles in general by a wrapping technique.

The object of the invention is to package articles in general, consisting of either one article or of several articles suitably arranged in groups, the said articles being arranged side by side or on top of one another.

In particular, the object of this invention is to wrap the said articles in a web of thermoplastic film which has the ability to shrink either mono-axially or biaxially when heated to the proper temperature.

Subject to the above features, another object of the invention described herein is a method of performing the wrapping operations in a simple, fast way which provides for maximum resistance of the wrapping to damage of the packaged articles as well as maximum visibility of the said articles.

A further object of the invention is to allow the packaging of two or more articles arranged either side by side or on top of one another in such a way that the compact arrangement of the articles is not disturbed in the packing process since in this invention, it is not necessary to lift, turn over or rotate the group of articles to be wrapped.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the packaging of several articles into one unit is made much easier, particularly if the articles are placed in a support or tray to increase the stability of the collated articles and to achieve easier handling during the wrapping operation, and later, at the time of unwrapping.

There are several systems of packaging by wrapping now in use but these have a number of drawbacks, including the need for complex and prolonged wrapping procedures. Another example is the method by which the Wrapping is fixed by sealing of side folds. It is preferred that the articles be clearly and fully visible, but by this technique, at least two sides of the wrapped pack are obscured by the side folds.

Other machines currently available perform the wrapping by means of two webs, the ends of which are joined together. The resistance of the welding seam obtained is unsatisfactory, and because these seams of necessity lie along the sides of the package, they impair both the visibility of the article and the appearance of the package.

The process according to this invention overcomes these and other drawbacks, and permits the wrapping of articles either automatically or semiautomatically. This process, in which one or more articles to be packed are arranged in an orderly manner and wrapped in a sheet of suitable material, particularly a heat shrinkable ma terial, the ends of which are sealed together is characterized by the following operations:

(1) The article to be packed is placed on the front end of a supporting table so that the rear part of the article extends over the edge of the table; partially wrapping the article to bepacked in a web that is unwound from a roll positioned below the supporting table by pulling the web over the article and securing the end of the web to the bottom surface at the back of said article; and,

(2) Moving the partially wrapped article forward along the support table until it passes a transverse slot provided in the table, through which the web is drawn up, to complete the wrapping of the article when the end of the web is overlapped by the web coming through the slot, the two parts of the web being fastened together, and after which, the web is cut allowing the removal of the packaged article and the beginning of another wrapping cycle.

The end of the web can be secured to the bottom surface of the article to be packed in various ways, including the use of adhesives or welded seams. The said fixing can also be obtained by inserting the end of the web between the edge of the supporting table and the lower face of the article to be packed, in such a way that the weight of the same article retains the said end during the movement of the article along the supporting table. Furthermore, the end of the web can be advantageously secured by folding the side ends of the transverse edge of the said web against the end or sides of the article, and thus the web is kept in place during the movement of the article.

The device designed to carry out the above process, including a table to support the article to be packaged and with one roll of wrapping web and the means to cut the web is characterized by:

(1) At least one transverse slot in the supporting table to permit the passage of the wrapping web which unwinds from the roll;

(2) Stops and guides on the said table, to locate and retain the article to be packed in the desired position with respect to the web feeding slot;

(3) A means to hold and to secure the end of the wrapping web to the rear bottom surface of the article to be packed;

(4) Means to move the article along the table, until it passes the web feeding slot and to arrange the wrapping web below the lower face of said article;

(5) Means to cut the web which unwinds from the roll and to secure the ends of said wrapping web to each other; and,

(6) Conveyors designed to remove the wrapped articles from the supporting table.

To facilitate the wrapping operation, particularly when carried out by hand, the invention provides the necessary means to unwind the web from the roll, in accordance with the shape and dimensions of the article to be packed.

The invention will now be described in the following specification with reference to the attached drawings illustrating, as examples, several parts of the device designed to carry out the process according to the invention.

In the drawings:

FIGS. 1 to show in longitudinal section one of the possible designs and its method of operation by stages.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show the braking device for the wrapping web on enlarged scale, in two different working positions.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show an alternative system to that shown in FIGS. 1 to 5.

The procedure according to the present invention will now be explained in accordance with the operating cycle illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5. In said figures, A indicates a table (which can be inserted between one or more forwarding and packaging devices), said table being provided with a suitably positioned slot A through which protrudes the end B of a web B that unwinds from a roll C suitably fixed below table A. Next to slot A table A has an opening A for the passage of a device D, comprising a welding head D and a cutting tool D which can be a cutting blade or a heated wire, for the purpose of collecting and fixing to each other the ends of web B and to cut the wrapping sheet B from said web. The above-mentioned operations can be carried out simultaneously or separately, since the cutting tool precedes the welding tool. A breaking device G is provided near the lower part of slit A to control the unwinding of web B as shown in detail in FIGS. 6 and 7. This device comprises two rollers G and G fixed by means of suitable supports to the table A. The supports of roller G are arranged so that the roller G can slide in the horizontal guides G and roller G is held by means of a spring G close against roller G Equally, the said rollers G and G can be moved away from each other by overcoming the action of the spring G A toothed wheel G is keyed to roller G with an endless chain round the idling wheel G7- A counter weight G is fastened to the chain G between two stops G and G one of which can be moved along guides to set stroke of the counterwegiht G When web B is moved in the direction of arrow Y, rollers G and G rotate and the counterweight G moves away from stop G until it reaches stop G thus locking the rotational movement of said rollers, whereas when end B, of said web is pulled in the direction of arrow X, roller G is moved away from roller G to allow the further unwinding of web B. The illustrated device is completed by the stops E provided to locate object K with respect to slot A The procedure for wrapping article K (which may consist of one single unit or of several units of the same kind, for instance tins, bottles, and rod-shaped articles in general, arranged side-by-side or on top of one another) is carried out, either automatically or manually, as follows:

Article K is placed on table A at stop E (see FIG. 1) is such a way that its rear end K projects for a certain length over the front edge A of said table. Successively the operator (or other appropriate and suitably driven devices) grip the end of web B causing the latter to move upwards. By means of this operation, rollers G and G are rotated and lift the counterweight G until it engages stop G to halt the unwinding motion. Thus, a predetermined length of web B projects from slit A as shown in FIG. 2.

End B of length B of the web is pulled over and down to cover the top K and rear K of article K in such a way that said end B comes to lie at the back of the lower surface K as shown in FIG. 3. End B of web-length B is then fixed to the rear area of the surface K; of article K; the said fixing can be obtained in ditferent ways, for

instance by means of clips, adhesives, or by taking advantage of the heat welding features of web B, or even by using suitable devices, which after folding the lateral ends of edge B against the sides of article K cause the latter to move along table A. This operation can also be performed manually.

After the said operation, the partially wrapped article K is moved along the surface of table A, till is passes Opening A This operation (see also FIG. 7) imparts a tension to length B of the web causing the web B to adhere to the faces K K and K of article K. At the same time, the length B is pulled over the roller G which is moved away from roller G against the action of springs G thus allowing the unwinding of a further length B of web B, which is pressed against the lower face K, of article K. During the said operation the pressure exerted by roller G on roller G is annulled and the counterweight G is free to fall to the stop G as shown in FIG. 7. Device G is now ready to function again in the next working cycle to wrap another article K. The moving of article K in the direction of arrow X is continued until the front wall K of the said article passes opening A Here, device D is operated (see FIG. 4), i.e. it is lifted so that the welding head D is brought against the two overlapping flaps formed by the ends B and B of web B; at the same time knife D cuts area B B from the ribbon B, thus forming a new end B of the web for the next wrapping cycle. As mentioned previously device D consists of a welding bar D combined with a cutting tool D which in the case of thermoplastic webs consists of an electrically heated wire extending parallel to said bar.

Wire D is positioned above the sealing bar D in such a way, that when device D is operated web B is cut first and then the bar D is brought into contact with the flaps of the cut web to be heat welded.

Web B is cut in an area which is immediately adjacent to the rear face K of article K. During the subsequent welding operation of the superimposed flaps, the said web shrinks and contracts completely to coincide with the edge formed of walls K and K, of article K. The cutting operation breaks the tensile force exerted on web B during the forward motion of article K along table A. Therefore, the roller G is forced back by action of springs G against roller G in order to grip end B; of ribbon B, as shown in FIG. 5. At the end of the wrapping operations the device claimed in the present application is ready to re-start the above described operating cycle, to wrap other articles K lying on table A.

Turning now to an alternate arrangement of the device shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the parts of said alternate arrangement corresponding to the parts as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 and are marked with the same reference letters. Table A of the illustrated device includes in its front end A a series of rollers A forming the sliding surface for article K, said surface terminates with rollers G and G of member G that controls the unwinding of web B, which takes place in exactly the same way as the unwinding shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 and, therefore, is not described. An adjustable stop H is held in position by a lever H set on a pivot H which is fixed to table A. The opposite end of the lever H is moved by the cam H which is keyed to a shaft driven by a main motor (not shown) through an electromagnetic clutch (not shown). The feed to the electromagnet of the said clutch is controlled by a switch operated by the stop H, when the latter is struck by article K. Devices D, designed to weld the superimposed flaps of the web B and to cut the latter are fastened to one end of lever D which is set on a pivot fixed to table A; the said lever D is moved by a cam D which is connected to the above-mentioned cam H so that it is driven by the same motor. To move away article K with its wrapping, after cutting the web and sealing, the said alternate arrangement foresees the use of a conveyor M, consisting of a flexible device or, otherwise, of an annular belt M which winds round pulleys M and M Pulley M is retained by the same pivot H as lever H where as the pivot for pulley M is fixed to the end of a lever also set on pivot H and controlled by a cam M the said cam M also being connected to the driving members of cams D and H in order to impart a vertical motion to pulley M and bring belt M in substantial alignment with the surfaces of table A.

The operating cycle performed by the latter device is analogous to the operating cycle illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 5. After having fixed end B of web B to the rear bottom surface K; of article K, the latter is moved in the direction of arrow X against stop H. This closes an electric switch designed to control the feed of the electro-magnet which operates the clutch inserted between the. motor and he shaft or shafts, to which cams D H and M are connected. Cam D is operated first to lift the welding and cutting member D and to press the latter against the superimposed flaps B of web B which are then sealed together. At the same time member D cuts sheet B from web B. The subsequent rotation of cam D returns member D to its initial position. After member D has been operated, cam H lowers stop H (see FIG. 9), after which cam M intervenes to lift pulley M thus lifting belt M above table A. Since belt M is maintained in motion by the rotation of pulleys M and M the said belt M draws the wrapped article K along in the direc tion shown by arrow X to unload it from the rear end of table A. Thereafter belt M is returned to its initial position and the operation starts again, as soon as another article K is placed on the front part A of table A.

The operating cycle of cams D H and M is accomplished during one complete rotation. When said cams reach their appropriate positions the electro-magnet is deenergized to stop the cams in their initial position after which they are ready to re-start the above-described cycle.

From the foregoing it will be easily understood that the wrapping of the article or articles K is performed in a simple and rational manner since, once the said articles K have been placed on table A they do not have to be either turned over or lifted.

The above-described device may be modified and altered according to the kind of wrapping desired and according to the end use of the wrappings; for instance, it is possible to realize the said device in such a way that it can be mounted on a manufacturing and packaging machine. In this case the control of said apparatus is performed by the equipment that precedes and follows it in order to realize an automatic working cycle. For instance, member G designed to control the unwinding of web B can be equipped with electric contacts controlled by a cam integral with one of two rollers G and G Therefore the details by which the procedure is performed and the device realized can be varied, without passing out of the domain of this patent for industrial invention.

We claim:

1. A process for packaging articles wherein one or more of the articles are arranged in a group and thereafter wrapped in a sheet of heat-sealable material, the ends of said sheet being fixed one to the other, the steps of said process comprising;

(a) providing a supporting table having a slot through which sheet material may be fed continuously from below the table;

(b) putting the article to be packed on the front of said supporting table in such a way that the rear part of said article projects from the edge of said table and the front part of said article is between the front end of the table and said slot;

(c) guiding said sheet material thorugh said slot;

(d) bringing the free end of said sheet material over said article;

(e) anchoring the end of the sheet material in the vicinity of the rear of the article to be packaged;

(f) moving the article forward on said table across said slot while simultaneously (g) feeding sheet material through said slot whereby the article while moving forward rides on top of a portion of said sheet material from the point it crosses said slot; and, after the rear part of said package has cleared said slot,

(h) welding the sheet material to itself in the vicinity of the anchored end of said sheet; and, severing the wrapped article from the sheet material.

2. The process of claim 1 including the step of folding the ends of the transverse edge of said sheet against the sides of said article and holding said ends there. during the movement of the article along the supporting table.

3. A device for packaging articles in sheet material including a table to support the articles to be packaged, said table having a roll with a web of sheet wrapping material below its surface, and means to cut a wrapping sheet from the web comprising:

(a) at least one slot cut transversely in the supporting table to form a passage for the wrapping web which unwinds from the roll;

(b) a pair of rollers provided on the supporting table for the articles to be packaged, said rollers being arranged adjacent said slot for the passage of the wrapping film;

(c) spring guides for moveably supporting one of the rollers of said roller pair to press said roller against the other, said other roller being fixed;

(d) stopping means fo limiting the rotation of said fixed roller;

(e) an adjustable chain and sprocket system associated with the fixed roller and the stops in said stopping means for said roller pair to allow the operation of said stopping means when the web is unwound in a direction substantially perpendicular to the surface of the supporting table, and to allow the movement of said moveably supported roller away from said fixed roller when the web is unwound in a direction substantially parallel to said supporting surface thereby deactivating said roller system;

(f) means for welding the overlapping ends of the wrapping web to each other, said welding means having associated therewith means for cutting said web;

and,

(g) means to remove the wrapped articles from the supporting table.

4. A device according to claim 3 wherein said supporting table is provided with an opening, said opening being located on the same side of said web passage slot as is the moveably supported roller; and, the means for welding and cutting said web being associated with said opening.

5. A device according to claim 4 wherein the means for welding the ends of the wrapping web comprises a heated bar.

6. A device according to claim 5 wherein said cutting means is so located to cut said web prior to the welding of the ends of the web together.

7. A device according to claim 6 including driving means on said supporting table, said means being arranged along the path of the articles to be wrapped and controlling the operation of said welding and cutting means when the article to be packaged is entirely enveloped by the wrapping web.

8. A device according to claim 7 including transport means to move the wrapped article away from the supporting table.

9. A device according to claim 8 characterized by driving means to actuate in succession said cutting means for fixing and cutting the wrapping web and said transport means for moving the wrapped articles away from the supporting table, the said driving means being controlled by said stops actuated by the wrapped articles.

10. A device according to claim 9 including three cams which operate in conjunction with the welding and cutting means for the web, with the transport means to move the wrapped articles away, and with said stopping means for said articles, said foregoing enumerated means being actuated in succession.

References Cited 3,358,420 12/1967 Fellner et a1. 53390 8 2/1968 Chant, Jr. et a1. 7/1969 Hofiier 5 3390X THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner 5 N. ABRAMS, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

